Chicagoland summer camps that are music to kids' ears

If your child owns six Foo Fighters shirts, look no further than School of Rock. The camp has a range of sessions focused on rock 'n' roll's canonical songbooks, including Nirvana and The Beatles. The camp also offers sessions focused on the evolution of genres, including a punk camp that traces a line from London's The Clash to D.C.'s Fugazi to Broadway's Green Day. For ages 10 and older with at least six months' experience, these camps usually start filling up in May.

Registration: Open now.

Camp dates: The Beatles Camp, June 15-19. History of Punk Camp, June 22-26. Led Zeppelin Camp, July 20-24. Blues Camp, July 27-31. Metal Camp, Aug. 3-7. Nirvana Camp, Aug. 24-28. All camps are from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Other camps available.

For a kid more interested in playing Carnegie Hall than Lollapalooza, the Music Institute of Chicago may be a perfect fit. This summer, the institute offers piano boot camp for serious ivory ticklers ages 10 and up. The camp covers a wide range of topics, from how to approach practice to stage fright. Students should come ready with pieces to work on. Another boot camp (for ages 11 and up) caters to oboe players, tackles everything from sight reading to making a reed to playing the rarest of all oboes, the oboe d'amore.

The Intonation Music Workshop's Rock-N-Pop summer camps teaches the musical DNA of today's hits to kids in underserved neighborhoods. Over the course of the two-week camp, students learn to play the different instruments that go into pop and rock songs, eventually forming their own bands and learning three (or so) songs to perform during the Millennium Park Family Fun Fest. Intonation, which receives funding from the Chicago Department of Family Support and Services, targets those often outside the reach of major arts programs.

Cost: The camp is free with a $25 refundable registration fee and intended for children from low-income families.

Chicago Center for Music Education

Nothing is more infuriating to someone who can't sing than someone who can. They make it look so easy. This summer, the Chicago Center for Music Education is there for campers willing to put some work and courage into finding their voices. The center hosts two Glee Camps, where students will learn about posture, patience and practice. The center also has a Suzuki String camp for budding musicians of all levels. More advanced students will have the chance to play with musicians from across the center's many departments. Both camps are for ages 6 and up.

Most of us love a good mashup, and this camp takes it to a whole new level. The Musical Offering's Music Star camps pair instruction in chamber music with creative empowerment, pushing kids to use their skills to create their own songs and stories. Over the course of each one-week session, young musicians combine forces with budding screenwriters and thespians to produce a musical. For inspiration, the camps eschew love and friendship, turning instead toward zombies and Hobbits. The camp is open to ages 9 through 17.

Registration: Open now.

Camp dates: July 6-10 for "Into the Woods ... to Grandmother's House in Mordor!"; July 13-17 for "Peter and the Wolf ... with Zombies!"; July 20-24 for "Sleepy Holler: Headless in Oklahoma!" Camps run 9 a.m.-3 p.m. with Friday-evening production finales

Calling all aspiring strummers and drummers, banjo pickers and ivory ticklers, songwriters and soloists (you get the idea): Registration for the super-popular Old Town School of Folk Music summer camps is part competitive sport, part rock concert. Summer camps cover music, yes, but also art, theater, dance and more, oriented by age group. There's also a one-week fiddle camp in July for ages 7-15.

Registration: Opens Feb. 4 online, by phone or in person at any of OTS' three locations.

Got an aspiring rocker who worships at the altar of Patti Smith, Carrie Brownstein or Kim Gordon? Whether she dreams of playing six strings, four strings or drums (or a spinning a turntable), Girls Rock! Chicago is here for her. The org aims to nurture the next generation of musicians with weeklong sessions featuring songwriting workshops, small group lessons and recording sessions. Campers also get to strut their stuff at showcases, which in the past have been held at venues including Metro and Bottom Lounge. For 8- to 16-year-olds, regardless of experience.

Registration: Opens March 1.

Camp dates: Two one-week sessions, open to 75 campers each. Camps run between late June and early August, but a final schedule is TBD. Check back.